Smoking culture

[macpappy]

I used to read all the reviews trying to find new cigars to try and then when I would smoke one I would struggle to find those flavor profiles. Hints of cinnamon, leather, coffee or the many other flavors often described? Maybe I tasted those but maybe my mind said, "ok, this is what other people tasted so I can taste those flavors, too." So I've always wondered if what I'm tasting is related to what I've read about a cigar.

On the other hand, I'm big into sniffing MY cigar before I light it. Some of my favorites smell like finely aged tobacco and they are generally always a pleasure to smoke. Then there are those cigars that I pull out and sniff and they just smell green, or a slightly woodsy vegetation smell, or even worse something again to the elephant attraction at the local zoo. In my experience I have found that the ones that smell green have no mellowness to them when smoked. The slightly woodsy, vegetation smell often translates into an okay smoke and the ones that smell like elephant dung usually don't get smoked all the way.

I've stopped trying to write the best reviews in the world and telling everyone about the subtle nuances of different cigars. When and if I write another review it will be about how well the cigar looked and smelled before I put the heat to it, how it burned and how much spice my tongue detected.

But that's just me.